Chapter 6 - A Mother’s Instinct
As the sun began to rise over the harbor, one of Damian's trusted lieutenants breached the safe house perimeter—not with news, but with drawn weapons. Betrayal had spread deeper than Damian anticipated; Victor had paid off his personal security team. Bullets splintered the reinforced door. Damian fired back instantly, taking down two men in the doorway, but a stray bullet caught him across the shoulder, sending him stumbling back against the steel desk.
Blood soaked through his dark shirt, but he didn't stop moving. He threw himself in front of Leah and me, cutting off the line of fire. Driven by pure instinct, I grabbed a heavy brass lamp from the table and struck the third gunman from behind as he lunged toward Damian. The man collapsed, unconscious. Damian looked at me, bleeding heavily, a dark smile playing at the edge of his lips. "You're full of surprises, Elena," he grunted, pressing a hand to his wound. "Now get the child to the lower transport. It's time to end this."
